HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Checkers and Phantoms squared off eight times across the regular season and split the series straight down the middle. The first four meetings came across the span of just eight days in early December, with the Phantoms taking three of the four games. The script flipped for the second half of the series, though, as the Checkers earned three wins over the final four matchups - two of which came in mid-February and two of which came during the season-ending road trip.OFFENSE
The Checkers finished the year with the ninth-ranked offense in the AHL, averaging 3.26 goals per game and posting the second-most tallies in the Atlantic Division. They saw plenty of production from the higher end of their lineup - Riley Nash turned in another near point-per-game campaign and Lucas Carlsson was one of the league’s most prolific point producers from the blue line - but they also benefited from strong depth. In fact, Charlotte was one of just seven teams across the league to boast at least four 20-goal scorers on the roster. The Charlotte offense also possessed a penchant for coming through in the clutch, as no team in the AHL scored more third-period goals this season than the Checkers.The Lehigh Valley offense clocked in a tier below Charlotte, tying for 17th in goals per game. They finished the season as one of only two teams in the AHL without a 50-point scorer, but they still house plenty of offensive talent. Elliot Desnoyers led the club in goals as a rookie, while the forward pair of Olle Lycksell and Cooper Marody each nearly reached a point-per-game average. Philadelphia first-rounder Tyson Foerster led the way for the Phantoms, though, with 48 points (20g, 28a) through 66 contests.
DEFENSE
The Checkers ranked slightly lower on the defensive side of the puck, coming in at 14th in terms of goals against per game. That number fluctuated throughout the season - over the last 13 games they surrendered 10 total goals across the six wins and 34 over the seven losses - but where the Checkers have consistently shined is in their shot suppression. Charlotte allowed the third-lowest shots on goal total during the regular season and was 26-16-2-1 when outshooting its opponent. Between the pipes is the tandem of Mack Guzda and J-F Berube, with the rookie entering the postseason on back-to-back wins after spending a chunk of time serving as the Panthers backup, while the veteran notched his fifth 30+ save effort of the year in the regular-season finale.The Phantoms finished the regular season tied for 19th in the league in terms of goals against per game, and gave up the second-most tallies in the Atlantic Division - though they are similarly stingy with the shots on goal they allow. Samuel Ersson was the workhorse in the crease for Lehigh Valley, clocking in as one of six AHL netminders to log at least 2,500 minutes this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Checkers were one of five teams to finish the season in the top-10 for both the power play (8th) and penalty kill (8th). Charlotte’s power play ended the regular season on a staggering heater, posting three consecutive games with three power-play goals each and totaling 10 tallies on 17 man advantages over the final four games. The PK didn’t have the same shimmering end, allowing multiple power-play goals in three of the last four contests, but Charlotte’s kill has been impressive nonetheless - tying Providence for the best conversion rate in the Atlantic Division.The Phantoms’ strength came on the man advantage, where they finished 10th and sat just a sliver behind Charlotte. The leading scorer duo of Tyson Foerster and Olle Lycksell have driven Lehigh Valley’s success on the man advantage, ranking one and two in that category as well. The penalty kill has been a different story, however, as the Phantoms finished the regular season last in the AHL - nearly two full percentage points behind the 31st-ranked club.
QUOTES
Head Coach Geordie Kinnear on the atmosphere in the room"I’ve been so proud with how, through a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, they’ve worked extremely hard. Now the real fun begins. We’re excited to get going."
Kinnear on breaking out of a slump to finish the regular season strong
"We had a little stretch at home where it didn''t go our way, but that’s part of the growth - especially with a young hockey team. You have to go through that. I like how we started to find our game, especially the last three games. We’re excited to play our best hockey moving forward."
Kinnear on getting to this point
"To get into the playoffs is extremely hard. You look at our division, the top two teams ahead of us are elite across the whole American Hockey League. We know how hard it is just to get into the playoffs, and it’s that much harder to keep moving forward. Everyone in our division can beat anybody any given night. We just want to make sure that we focus on our selves"
Kinnear on the impact of veterans on his team
"When you look at Riley Nash, he played four games in the Stanley Cup Final last year. There’s the ultimate experience on the ultimate stage. He’s been great all year, he knows how to encourage the young guys to be in the moment. And that’s the hardest part for the young guys, you knid of look ahead to the next shift - just be in that moment, be in that shift. It helps. We lean on our veteran guys but our younger guys have played in big moments too, so we’re looking for those guys to have a major impact."
Forward Riley Nash on facing the Phantoms
"We’ve had some good battles with those guys, whether it’s here or up there. It seems like every game is close. They have a pretty big team, they play hard every night, they got some talented players that can score, so I expect a tight series. Hopefully we can come out on top. Just focus on each and every game and take care of business."
Kinnear on home-ice advantage
"We wanted to be at home. This is a great place to play, great atmosphere. Our fans are very passionate and into the game, so we want to make sure that we do our part and bring it home and be ready."
SEE YOU THERE
Individual tickets, ticket plans and special deals call all be found here.TUNE IN
Tonight's game starts at 7 p.m. If you can't make it to the Coliseum, you can tune in to the broadcast with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV.The radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.
